Digimon: Darkness Rising
by nstar93
Summary: It's been years since the Chosen Ones have shown their faces in the Digital World and as a result, it's suffering. 7 children have been chosen but they're going to need a lot of help to restore power to the Digital World.
1. Prologue: Journey To A New World!

Prologue: Journey To A New World!

Fear was registered on every angle of her small face. She stared up at the monster before us, her small brown eyes filled with dread and her face drained of all of its color. Her cheeks weren't their usual rosy hue and her body was rigid behind mine. She was petrified and I felt her fear seeping into me, overlapping mine and making me crazy. Combined, our fear made me want to run around in circles and scream as loud as possible, but I knew that wouldn't get us anywhere.

What I needed now was to be logical and reasonable. I couldn't mess up because it was pretty clear that if I did that would mean sudden death and the last thing I wanted was blood on my hands for bringing my baby sister into this. Just thinking of her death being my fault was enough to make me sick to my stomach. Emily was so good, so sweet and kind. She hadn't wanted to leave but me with my stupid burning desire to bring her too, this overwhelming feeling that if I went to see the flashing light in the sky she had to too, was making me mad. What was wrong with me? I had never done that before. I would never do that. if my sister didn't want to do something I would be okay with it, but this time…this time I had insisted and look where that had gotten us.

This monster…this thing…this creature…it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Its eyes were an angry red, its beak a stunning gold, and the sharp teeth that poked out from the sides were not only massive but gruesome. Its body was covered in black flames, flames that seemed to be raging a war with each other. It kind of looked like a phoenix, like the same one Bernie Myers drew in sixth grade. Only difference was that his was golden and prettier, but this one just looked bloodthirsty. It stared angrily between Emily and me, as if it was deciding which one to go after first.

I swallowed as I slowly rose to my feet and grabbed my sister's hand. She was still frozen in place, but she felt my hand because I felt her tiny fingers wrap around mine.

"Destroy…" The dark bird growled. "Destroy…" Its wings expanded then, a fast motion that made me jump. It had been saying those words, its voice angry and deep for a while now, ever since it burst through the warehouse as if it had been waiting for Emily and me.

A sound came from Emily's chest and when I looked I saw her slowly sliding down to the ground, her face covered in ash and dirt, her clothes tattered and body shaking. Her knees hit the floor and she stared down at the ground, unable to face me or the monster.

I cupped her face in my hands and she resisted me until I forced her to meet my eyes. I forced a small smile onto my lips, determined to stay strong even when it felt like the end. I had decided on something a few moments ago and that was that I would risk myself to save her. I was the reason we were in this mess, the reason we would've been dead multiple times already. Saving her would be my last attempt at trying to redeem myself and it would be something I could die knowing I did right.

"Run." I choked as I wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

There was a flicker of something registering on her face, but chances were that she hadn't heard me at all. I pulled my hands away and inhaled deeply as I stood up tall and turned to face the bird.

It watched me, its eyes studying my movements carefully. I stared at its massive wings, probably the size of two tractor-trailers and struggled to calm my shaking hands.

"Take me!" I called.

The bird cocked its head while Emily gasped behind me. Within seconds she was tugging the back of shirt, her hands frantic as she screamed, but my mind not processing her words. In that moment it was just me and this black abomination. We were staring each other down and finally after what felt like forever, my words registered.

"Sacrifice!" It roared into the sky.

Fresh tears started to fall down my cheeks and I swung around as I pried my sister's hands from my shirt and struggled to push her back.

"Run Emily!" I shouted at her.

"No!" She screamed, her voice was a hysterical mess and her eyes shined with her eternal loyalty to me. She would never leave me, but she had to understand that this was not the time to be loyal.

"Sacrifice!" The bird screeched as it started toward me. It was fast, I would give it that. It had proven that countless times tonight. A bird that size, you'd think it would be a little slow, but it moved through the air faster than a jet.

"Hallie!" Emily screamed as she fought against me now. She was hurting me, I felt the pain in my hands, but she was ruthless.

"Emily! Stop it!" I shouted as I tried to move her without hurting her any more than she already was. But she was making it really difficult for me to hold back my strength. It seemed like every time she shoved or scratched me, I had to fight the inner urges to hurt her back.

"I'm not leaving you!" Emily screamed as a giant beam of white light burst out of the sky and surrounded us. I heard the dark bird crying in the distance and my vision quickly became blurry as I struggled to see. I felt myself being lifted off the ground and I heard Emily's cries for help, but even she sounded far away. I could feel her warm hand in mine, gripping it as if for dear life as we lifted off the ground together .

In that moment I wasn't exactly fearful, but I wasn't exactly calm either. A part of me wanted to scream and panic like Emily, but as all the sounds around me started fading away and as everything started to fade to the back of my mind, suddenly nothing else mattered. I felt the exhaustion work its way into my body and I felt my energy draining away. I could still feel Emily, but even that was starting to fade.


	2. 1:Strange New World! Enter Chosen Ones!

Chapter 1: Strange New World! Enter The Chosen Ones!

I woke up surrounded by tall blades of grass. I was staring up at a crystal blue sky, with marshmallow-looking clouds floating by. I stared up in what felt like muted awe, but then my mind started racing and I remembered my sister's touch. I felt my right hand twitch and glanced down only to see that it was empty. I had been sure that Emily was squeezing my right hand. I glanced over at my left, my body still tired and lazy. She wasn't on my left either.

With a deep breath I sat up and looked at my surroundings. A vast field surrounded by dense forest on the right and endless valleys on the left. I was momentarily stunned by the beauty of it all but then Emily came into my thoughts and I started to worry.

"Emily?" I called as I started to walk around in what felt like a circle. I gained no response and when that became apparent I had to make a decision. Head toward the valley on my left or into the forest on my right. Though it had felt like a dream, I had been sure Emily was squeezing my right hand, at least that was the hand I felt the pressure on the most. I looked at the vast forest in front of me and then glanced back at the valley.

She was a little girl and scared of dark places, but what if by some chance she had fallen into the forest and was scared out of her mind? I wasn't sure where I was or what this place was, but it was my fault we were here in the first place. I balled my hands into fists as I started toward the forest, feeling my heart race.

I had only taken my first few steps into it and already I wanted to turn back. It was creepy. I couldn't hear anything scurrying through the trees or see anything flying up above. It was almost like this place was dead. I shivered at the thought and picked up my speed.

"Emily?" I called. No response.

I walked a little more, trying my best to work up my confidence. I sounded weak and that wasn't going to get me anywhere. If I sounded strong, I would somehow face my fears and this place wouldn't creep me out as much.

"Emily? Where are you?" I called, my voice a little stronger.

There was rustling in a nearby bush and my attention snapped over to it. I was fearful, standing in that spot, wondering if some sort of angry forest creature with sharp teeth and long claws was going to jump out at me.

"Who's there?" I called.

There was no answer, but a bush behind me started to rustle too and I jumped to face it. I peered into the forest, trying to make out any shapes or figures, but came up with nothing. This forest was dead, so why was I freaking out?

I exhaled the breath of air I had been holding in and tried to calm my nerves. I was jumpy, which was normal. New place and not one familiar face that was a normal reaction. But I was alone in this forest and maybe, possibly, Emily was around too. If I just imagined us to be the only two people here, everything would be okay.

With that, I felt a little better. Just us two, just us two, just us-

"There she is! Hit her! Now!" a voice boomed.

I jumped and turned, a nervous and fearful mess as I faced what looked like a small army of ogres running toward me. They had a bright brown complexion with huge dark purple eyes and long white hair. They looked angry as they raced toward me, lifting what looked like a massive bone high above their heads. I squinted at the stick, noticing how it gleamed with the bits of sunlight that hit the forest floor. I noticed that the bone had shiny stuff on it, like long spikes and huge bolts poking out of it and my heart dropped.

"Evil Hurricane!" one of the ogres shouted as it aimed its bone at me. My eyes widened as a blast of wind slammed into me and knocked me off my feet. The only good thing was that I only caught a small fraction of it so I could only imagine what it felt like at full force.

I hit the ground, my head slamming into the dirt and I started coughing as the air rushed back into my lungs.

"Did you get her?" One of those ogres grunted.

They sounded close and I jumped up from the ground and raced behind a tree. I peeked out from its side as I watched the four ogres enter the small clearing. I noticed they wore leopard skirts and leopard arm pieces and I struggled to hold back a giggle. Such vicious looking creatures, with angry expressions, sharp teeth, and piercings all over their bodies and yet they were wearing leopard skirts like a bunch of cavemen.

"There she is!" one of them said. I gasped and covered my mouth as I pressed my back against the tree and squeezed my eyes shut. This was it. They were going to beat me senseless with those clubs of theirs and I could barely defend myself against a blast of wind. It was over. I could kiss my sister goodbye and all hopes of finding her too. I was going to die feeling very unfulfilled. It wasn't fair.

There was a sound and a grunt and then something hit the ground. I jumped and slowly turned my head to see. A head was poking out from the corner of my tree and it looked like it was in pain. It was a bright yellow, almost golden. It looked like a cat, but its face was narrow like a fox. Its eyes were a cold blue, intense and serious. It stared off at the bush in front of it, its expression unchanging. A purple squiggly line went along her eye, almost like a lightning bolt and suddenly her eyes darted to my face.

We stared at each other. Her with muted silence and maturity, me with pure terror and surprise. Had those ogres been talking about me or her? Whatever the reason she looked badly injured and staring into her eyes, I felt her pain.

"Did you get her?" an ogre asked.

"There she is!"

"Hit her!"

The fox creature cringed in pain and slowly rose to her feet. I heard them hitting her on her back and I knew there was nothing she could do because she was too weak.

"If you had handed us the crest you wouldn't be going through this would you?" the ogre's growled.

I balled my hands into fists, unable to listen to this torture and them beating her. She let out a grunt as they hit her hard and I felt the tree shake from the impact. Without knowing exactly what I was going to do I jumped out from behind the tree and startled the small circle of ogres. They stared at me, at first bewildered and then stepped back.

"Enough!" I shouted at them as I picked up a stick and gripped it in my hands.

"Where did she come from?" an ogre asked.

"She's human!" another shouted.

"Prisoner!"

"LadyDevimon will be pleased!"

"What?" I asked as they all ran for me. I threw my stick at them and started running as they ran after me, my heart racing and my breaths coming out in quick bursts.

"Don't let her get away!" the ogre's shouted.

"Heavy Stick!" one shouted. I looked up only to see one of them flying toward me with his stick high above his head. He was gonna hit me with it! Bash my skull in! I screamed as I jumped out of the way just as his stick hit the ground. It was inches from my foot and the ogre glared at me as it yanked its bone from the ground and lifted it over its head.

"No!" I shouted as I kicked it in the stomach and it grunted. I scrambled to my feet just as another blast of wind slammed into me and sent me flying back. I hit a tree and felt the pain shoot up throughout my body.

"Got her!"

I struggled to stand on my hands and knees as those ogres surrounded me.

"This is gonna be great, we got the thief and now we caught a human! LadyDevimon's going to be so happy." They were beaming at each other as they stood over me and I cringed as one of them reached for me.

"Hold it right there!" a powerful voice growled. The ogre's froze in their place and we all looked toward the voice.

The fox from earlier was barely standing and I realized she was really tall. I had barely looked at her when she was pushed against the tree and even though she was weak now, she still looked pretty tall. Fur stuck out from her shoulders and her chest was alive with fur. She had purple gloves on with what looked like the Yin and Yang symbol on the wrist. Three claws poked out from the glove holes and her knees and part of her thighs had two swirl symbols on them, symbols that kind of looked like the Cancer symbol. Her legs were long and her feet were white with three clawed toes. Most of her body was that shade of elegant gold but the rest was white. Her tail wiggled behind her, long and powerful looking and tipped white.

"You seem to have forgotten all about little old me." The fox said as she stood upright. I tried to see how tall she really was but I think she was a few inches taller than me.

"No bother all we gotta do is beat you senseless like we did earlier!" an ogre laughed.

"That shouldn't be a problem either because you're still weak anyway!"

"I'd like to see you dodge our attacks now, Renamon!" One of the ogres pointed his stick at her a blast of wind fired at her. With ease and grace, the fox dodged the attack and crossed her arms.

"Diamond Storm!" A hazy cloud started to form around her and when uncrossed her arms, razor-sharp crystal shards slammed into the ogres. They groaned in protest and all hit the ground.

I quickly raced out of the circle, even though my body seemed to be resisting. I finally collapsed by a tree, unable to move anymore and the fox jumped into the spot I had been moments ago. The ogres started getting up slowly, all of them grunting.

"You Fugamon are wasting my time. You were all so tough moments ago, what happened now, huh?" Her hands suddenly became engulfed in blue flames as the Fugamon struggled to get themselves together.

"Give us that crest!" one of them shouted as they lunged for her.

"Power Paw!" She punched him right in the jaw and sent him flying back. He landed a few feet away, a defeated heap on the ground.

"Take it from her by force!" an ogre suggested as all them jumped at the fox together.

She punched them all, catching them in the chest and face and sent all of them flying into tree or bushes. When she was done she waited, her hands still glowing in case any of them decided to get back up. When she saw that wasn't going to happen, she slid to her knees and struggled for breath.

I slowly pushed myself up. After watching her fight for a few minutes, my body seemed to be feeling a little better though I could tell I'd be sore in a few hours. I started toward her and when I reached out to touch her, she grabbed my wrist.

I gasped as she rose to her feet, her eyes sharp as needles as she looked me over. I looked at her hand over my wrist. Her grip wasn't exactly tight, but there was no way I could break free of it unless she loosened it or let go. It was natural strength for her, strength she couldn't help.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly, my eyes wide with fear.

She pushed my hand away and I backed away even more. I wasn't sure why she was reacting this way, especially since I had distracted them in order to stop them from hurting her. Sure I could've been faster with it, but I was scared too.

Her eyes narrowed at me as she started toward me, her steps measured yet soundless as she stepped on the leaves. She was like a ninja or something. You wouldn't hear her until she was in your face. Maybe that was why I hadn't heard her when those ogres were calling for her.

"You're human." She said.

"You're not." I said as I continued to back away upon her closing proximity.

"How did you get here?"

I shrugged as one of the ogre's started to get back up. She followed my gaze and her right paw became engulfed in that blue flame. As she started toward the ogre I took the opportunity to run as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

I wasn't exactly sure what her problem was or what she was going to do to me when she got close enough. I felt like I was owed a thank you, but maybe she didn't work that way. Maybe she wasn't grateful that I had help save her. Maybe she hated humans since she wasn't one herself.

I wasn't sure how long I was running for but all I knew is that by the time I slowed down I had stumbled onto yet another clearing, except this time I was on a cliff and when I peeked on the side it looked like a long fall. I could've slid down the side but there was a huge possibility that I would've broken my neck after about a minute.

With a sigh I turned to face the forest once more. I had to go back in there and that's where that fox creature was and I wasn't sure if she even liked me or not. With a heavy sigh I sat down and hugged my knees to my chest as I struggled to pull ideas out of my brain. I still had no Emily and I had to figure out a way to get us back home because this place…this place was definitely not New York City.

My red curls danced in the breeze, probably making it look more unruly than it already was. That's when I noticed something was wrong. I stretched out my legs and looked down at my clothes, which were different. I was still wearing my crop-style navy blue and white striped sweater with my shorts. The only problem was that while they were dirty, they weren't tattered and torn and before I had arrived here and I had been with that black bird, I was pretty sure my clothes were ugly. I had been cut up too and I was perfectly flawless except for a few scrapes on my knees, fresh from crawling and falling to the ground.

"This makes no sense." I mumbled as a passing breeze blew my hair back. I thought back to the attack but I was a hundred percent positive I had been a mess. All the rips on my shorts were the same as how I had bought them.

I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly the sky above grew dark. I looked up, only to see familiar black flames. My hear dropped as I scrambled to my feet and struggled to run. Only problem was that it was too late to run, or even attempt to.

"Black Saber!" Giant fireballs landed all around me, making the Earth shake and my already terrible sense of balance even worse. I almost hit the ground but caught myself with my hands and managed to push myself up.

Once on my feet, I was running again, well stumbling more like it. The ground was still vibrating from the fireball attack and as the black bird flew above me in crazy circles, I feared for the next one. What made it worse was that I wasn't really running in any particular direction. I didn't know this forest and I wasn't sure if I was running to safety or into danger.

This was worse than the time I lost my mom in the park. I had been so scared, afraid that she had left me alone. I was so young I didn't know where I lived; all I knew was what the building looked like.

The bird let out a cry as it dove toward me, a full-fledged attack, with its beak open wide, teeth glistening in the sunlight. My heart dropped as I quickly realized I didn't stand a chance. I had nowhere to run and it was coming at me too fast to dodge it. I was screwed.

What made it worse was that I tripped over a branch and as I closed my eyes, accepting the fact that everything that had happened so far was all my fault and that I was the worst sister ever, I was lifted off the ground. When I opened them, the ground was shaking as the black bird slammed into the ground and I hit the ground, landing on my stomach.

I was shaking as I struggled to push myself up and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get up. I didn't know how I had dodged the attack and though I wanted to see who my savior was, I wondered if they were like that fox creature.

"You run pretty slow, kid." A familiar voice said. I looked up only to see the fox glaring down at me.

The black bird turned its head in our direction, its red eyes glowing with hatred and thirst for blood. As it started to push itself onto its feet, the fox turned toward its hands became engulfed in those blue flames again.

I managed to sit up and stared up at the fox. She was definitely fierce looking, but despite that, I wasn't sure if she could take on that bird alone. It was massive, ten times bigger than her and wider too. Her little fire trick might be cool and powerful, but if this bird could su7mmon balls of black flames from its wings, I doubted the fox could fight that.

"Are you crazy?" I heard myself whisper. The fox's ears twitched at the sound of my voice. They were long and pointy and the tips were dipped white. Slowly, she turned her face toward me, revealing just her profile and I made a long and slender mane. In the front her face looked flat, but from the side it was long and somehow creepier.

I looked at the bird, its eyes still locked on me. "There's no way you can beat that thing. It's not like those weird ogre things."

The fox was silent as she looked me over and then turned back to face the bird. "Those Ogremon were only a warm-up for me." she said, her voice even yet holding a hint of anger. "Saberdramon is my main course."

With that she disappeared and suddenly reappeared right above the bird. She gave it one good punch to the top of the head and the bird screeched in pain. I covered my ears, the sound too much, shaking me to my core.

The bird recovered from the hit quickly and tried to bite the fox. It back-flipped to the ground, landing a few feet away from me. There was a sound I couldn't place, but it sounded humorous. I stared between the bird and the fox, struggling to figure out where it was coming from until the fox stood upright, its hands still glowing and suddenly its feet started to glow as well.

It was the fox. She was…laughing? "Is that all you've got big boy?" she teased, her eyes wide.

"Black Saber!" the bird screeched as it flapped its wings and those black fireballs started flying toward the fox.

"Power Paw!" The fox shouted as she punched the fireballs and turned them into dust. The bird didn't seem to like it very much, while the fox seemed to be having the time of her life.

"Sacrifice!" The bird roared as he started flying…right toward me. I gasped as I struggled to get my legs to move, but struggled to stand. The fox was in front of me within seconds and caught the blunt of the birds attack. I screamed as I felt heat on my arm, but it was nothing when compared to the heat I would've felt if the fox hadn't been there.

"You alright?" I heard the fox call to me.

I was gripping my arm, trying to bite down the pain, but at the same time trying to stay awake and not pass out. I wasn't good with pain and this searing pain on my arm was making my heart race and body sweat. I'd be lucky if I could stay awake for the next few seconds.

"Kid!" I heard the fox shouting as I started to close my eyes. It was too much; I was panicking, far too panicked to stay awake. My eyes started to close just as I heard the giant bird's roar ring in my ears once again.


	3. 2:The Journey Begins! Enter Pandamon!

When I woke up I was lying on the forest floor, underneath a tree that had been uprooted from the ground. Beside me a fire was burning and above the stars in the sky twinkled intensely. I stared up at them for a few moments, not only admiring but trying to find my bearings.

I sat up quickly, as the image of the bird engulfed in flames came into my head. I wasn't dead, that much was certain but the stinging in my arm let me know that my injury hadn't been a dream. Heck the stinging in my arm also let me know that this place wasn't a dream either. I really had been in the warehouse. I really had been with Emily. I really had lost her…

"You're finally awake." A voice said. I swung around only to see the fox walking out of from the trees with logs in her arms. She set them down a few feet away from the fire and then after giving it a small amount of thought, she tossed one into it and the fire cackled.

"What happened?" I asked as I gently touched my left arm. It stung in response but felt oddly cooler under my touch.

The fox eyed me carefully and slowly lowered herself onto the ground, across the fire. Under the dim light, her golden glow almost seemed orange, and her eyes seemed a little softer, but still ice cold.

"You passed out." The fox said.

I balled my free hand into a tight fist and shook my head. "I know that! I meant what happened to the bird."

"Saberdramon?"

I nodded after giving a slight shrug. I guessed these creatures had names. Now that I thought of it, she had called those ogres, Ogremon. I struggled to remember what they had called the fox.

"After you passed out, I grabbed you and took off." The fox said.

"You saved me?"

"You sound surprised."

I stared at her, unsure of how I could approach her statement. She had saved my life after she had been so rude to me? I wasn't sure how to take it, but something told me that she didn't do it often and if I ever wanted it to happen again, being grateful was the best thing to do.

"I just…didn't…I don't know." I looked down, suddenly losing the urge to say anything. Maybe I should just shut up. Maybe I should feel grateful, but the fact was I was confused. Her stares scared me and staring into her eyes for too long was enough to make me started doubting and forgetting all my words. I stared at the dry leaves on the ground, feeling my face turn red from embarrassment. Though she looked intense all the time, the idea of this creature, so majestic, so powerful, so fast, showing an ounce of compassion was enough to make me started doubting myself.

The fox shrugged and looked up at the stars. "I don't know why I did it, I just did. Honestly, it makes no difference to me whether you die or live."

That one hurt and judging by her look, it was meant to destroy any hope that she actually had any compassion in her. We stared at each other, neither of us speaking, but our eyes were at war. I wanted to turn away, her eyes were telling me to look away in shame, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Her words bothered me and even though I'd never stand a chance with her in a fight, I wanted her to take that back or at least apologize.

"I should've just let it hit you." The fox said. "It seemed to want you anyway."

"Sounds like you're living in regret." I said suddenly, unable to hold it in.

The fox was amused as its ears perked up and slowly, it closed its eyes. "I suppose, but that's not quite it. I don't regret it exactly; I just can't seem to figure out why I did it. You're just a human anyway."

"And what are you? Some kind of monster?"

"Monster?" The fox shook her head and sighed. "I'm a digimon."

"Digimon?"

"Digital Monster."

I stared at her, confused out of my mind. "So monster."

"Not exactly, though I guess a few of us can fit that mold."

"Like those ogres."

"They are ugly."

"And that bird."

"It was big and it did have sharp teeth." The fox shook its head. "I suppose we all are on some level."

I looked at the fire and hugged myself, ignoring the stinging in my arm. "So where am I?"

"Digital World."

"On Earth?"

"No, you're far from it. Think of this world as another dimension."

"Another dimension?" I gasped.

The fox looked at me. "You've never been here before, have you?"

"People come here? How do they get here?" I asked. Why would anyone want to come to a place like this? With creatures like those ogres and that bird, this was the last place I would want to be.

"Trailmon." The fox said. "They travel between the Human World and our world all the time."

I stared in disbelief unsure if this was some kind of joke or not. Was she serious? The words that were coming from her mouth sounded unreal. Digimon? Digital World? Trailmon?

"How did you get here anyway?" The fox asked.

I thought back to the beam of light and I could almost feel my sister's touch as suddenly the confusion flew to the back of my mind and my sister's well-being and safety raced to the front. I had to find her. It was already dark out.

"A white light burst from the sky and swallowed me up."

"Portal."

"Huh?"

"It was a portal. They open up in your world occasionally, but they usually pop up on a wall or something, never from the sky."

"It sucked me and my sister up into it."

"Sister?"

"I don't know where she is." I grabbed a leaf and crushed it in my palm as I prayed that Emily was okay. "I woke up in a field and she wasn't there."

"She probably landed somewhere else."

I looked up at her. "Do you know where?"

The fox looked at me and shrugged. "I'm not sure but when a portal opens up that way in your world you usually do fall right from the sky. If you fell from the sky and that Saberdramon was so close to you, she must be close by as well. Your best bet is to head toward the local Trailmon station and get a lift to the next town."

I nodded. "So where's the station? Can I go there now?" I was eager, renewed with energy suddenly. The fox studied me, as if it had never seen enthusiasm before.

"The Trailmon don't run at this time and besides, I'm not even sure if they run through this area."

"But you just said-"

"The Digital World isn't what it used to be, kid. It's not as safe as it used to be either. Those Trailmon, they're real chickens and this area, this is a Darkness Area. That witch LadyDevimon rules this zone and no self-respecting Trailmon wants to be seen around here." The fox growled. Judging by the way she said that witch's name she really hated her.

Suddenly it grew quiet and the only sound was the fire cackling between us. We were both staring into the dancing flames. I was trying to figure out what to say while the fox just seemed lost and disgusted. She reached over and tossed in another log just as I found my next topic.

"What did you steal?"

She looked at me.

"Those ogres…Ogremon, they said that you stole something. They called you a thief."

The fox touched a gold necklace around her neck. It had a piece of glass in the center of it. Inside the glass, it had what looked like a golden charm. The necklace look old, but the thing inside of it was shiny.

"I didn't steal it." The fox said.

"Oh…" I said as I looked away again.

"Ophanimon gave it to me and those stupid Ogremon think that I stole it from their beloved LadyDevimon." The fox shook her head as if it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard.

"Ophanimon?" I repeated. The fox shook her head and sighed.

"Ophanimon used to be the ruler of the land, but ever since those Darkness Digimon took over, she was forced out of power and into hiding. Those digimon want the crests, after it was proven that the crests hold a power that they didn't hold before. Once all the crests come together, the holder will become the most powerful digimon in the world." The fox looked down at her necklace and gripped in in her hands. "Ophanimon scattered the crests all over the Digital World, to protect them."

"Why did she give it to you?" I asked, my voice gentle.

The fox glared into the fire. "That's what I want to know. I don't deserve to have something like this…something so powerful. I said that I wanted to help fight the Darkness, and she hands me this. I couldn't refuse and yet I didn't want it. With this crest, there's too much…responsibility."

"So why didn't you just give it back? Why didn't you decline?"

"I did…at first. But, she insisted. I couldn't decline it anymore. I accepted it, determined to make her proud, but ever since then…I've been running. Fighting as best I can but running nonetheless."

"You're supposed to protect that necklace?"

"Not so much the necklace, but the thing inside of it." She tapped the glass with her claw and I spotted a small charm inside. I made out a sun engraved on the charm in the dim light, but that was about it.

"What is it?"

"Crest of Hope."

"Sounds fancy."

"Something like that." The fox said as she looked up at the sky. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. She said to find a safe place for it. To give it to the Chosen Ones."

"Chosen Ones?"

"Children that are picked from your world and brought here to protect us. Only problem is that those kids haven't shown up yet. We're getting all sorts of kids lately, but the Chosen Ones have yet to arrive."

"Why are they taking so long? Why are there so many kids?"

The fox glanced at me. "The Darkness just gained control over the portals. They're sucking up just about anyone and forcing out any digimon into your world as possible. The good thing is that when they open it, the digimon they send can't go very far, so when the portal opens up, anyone that's around it gets sucked up."

I nodded. "So am I a Chosen One?"

"Don't get your hopes up." The fox said as she lied back.

"How do you know if you're a Chosen One?" I asked.

The fox shrugged. "I've never met one,. I assume that you just know."

"So human kids are supposed to come here and with those crests, they're supposed to destroy this darkness thing you're talking about?" I scratched my head.

"Along with other digimon. Chosen Digimon."

"Are they bigger than you?"

"They can digivolve."

"What's that?"

"They get stronger…bigger."

"Oh."

"Yup."

I lied back down in the grass and sighed. What if Emily was a Chosen One? It was comforting to know that she was with a nice and strong digimon, maybe one bigger than Renamon and faster. However, she must still be panicking and imaging her little face that way made my heart ache.

"This sister of yours…she must mean a lot to you." The fox said.

"She's my baby sister. It's my fault we're here anyway."

"Hmm…"

"I just want to take her home. I don't want her to be here…alone…scared…"

"Captured." The fox added.

"Hurt." I swallowed as the stinging in my arm made me reach up and touchit lightly. I hadn't noticed before but it was wrapped up in what felt like a cloth.

"In the morning, I'll take you to find that Trailmon." The fox sighed after a few minutes.

"Why?"

"With the crowd you're attracting, you're gonna need someone to protect you, or at least attempt to." The fox said. "Besides, it's the least I can do."

"Least you can do?" I yawned.

"You helped me with those Ogremon."

"You pretty much helped yourself."

"But you distracted them long enough for me to recover."

"I guess."

"So…thanks…I guess." The fox sighed as she moved around in the leaves, trying to get comfortable.

"Yeah…thanks, err, too."

"Yup."

With that, we were done talking and though it felt like forever, I managed to fall asleep. When I woke up, I could smell the dying fire and I could hear feet pacing around in the rotting leaves. I slowly opened my eyes only to see the fox, searching the trees and moving all around me.

"What's wrong?" I croaked. I reached up with my good arm to clean the sleep from my eyes as the fox stopped pacing and looked down at me.

"Someone's been watching us all night." She mumbled.

My heart started racing as I imagined an angry digimon with vibrant red eyes and teeth just as sharp as the Saberdramon.

Within seconds I was on my feet, cowering behind the fox with a racing heart and watery eyes.

"Come out now! Don't make me go in and get you because I won't be gentle." The fox shouted into the trees that surrounded us.

There was no response, just a passing breeze that rustled a few leaves. The fox locked on a spot on one of the trees in front of us and tensed up.

"Did you find it?" I whispered as she crossed her arms.

"Diamond Storm!" Those razor sharp shards of glass rammed into the tree and I heard someone crying as the tree collapsed.

"Come Out!" The fox growled.

"Alright! Geez!" A voice grunted. A few moments later, out popped a black and white panda with sharp and lazy looking red eyes. It had a ragged scarf around its neck and two crisscrossed Band-Aids in the middle of its stomach.

"It's a bear…a three foot tall panda bear." I mumbled. I ran a hand through my hair as I stopped shaking and stepped away from the fox. "This world just keeps getting weirder every second".

So it wasn't a red eyes monster, in fact it was quite cute and the closer it got the cuter it got too. It sounded angry but at the same time you could tell its voice could be playful too. I smiled down at the bear that was a little dirty now thanks to the fox's attack. It reminded me of the toys you'd see in the amusement parks, the big prize everyone would aim for.

"Why were you spying on us?" The fox growled.

"Spying?" The bear shook its head. "I was running and the safest place to be after I saw you fighting that Saberdramon was with you and this human girl."

"Hmph…" The fox glared down at the bear who seemed to shiver under her gaze.

"Oh, it's so cute!" I smiled and placed a hand on the bear's head. "I could just hug you!"

"Hug me?" The bear swatted my hand away and backed up. "I don't do hugs."

"Pandamon are usually alone, at least they like to think they are." The fox explained as she put out the remainder of the fire.

"Pandamon?" I repeated as I watched her.

"Pandamon, that's me!" The bear said as he tapped his chest with his paw. "And that's true. We are loners."

"So why do you seek protection from others?" The fox said.

Pandamon shrugged. "I'm not like other Pandamon." He dug his foot into the dirt and sighed. "I used to like being alone, but truth was ever since the Darkness came, I grew out of it. Right now, our world is at the stage that either you team up with other digimon or you get deleted!"

"What makes you so sure if I even care about helping you? Who even said I want to team up with the likes of you anyway?" The fox growled, her eyes merciless.

Pandamon took another step back and nodded. "I know, I thought about the same thing. But! I heard what you said yesterday. You have something that needs protecting!"

The fox turned away and the crest inside the necklace glistened as a small beam of sunlight hit it.

"I might not be much of a fighter, but I can help you. I can serve as a distraction! Plus I know this area! I've been walking around for so long I know how to get us out of trouble and everything! Please oh please, Renamon!" Pandamon was on his knees now, his eyes shut and his voice pleading.

"Renamon?" I looked at the fox and remembered that that was what those Ogremon had called her.

Renamon snickered and glared down at the Pandamon. "I'm not taking you on."

"What?" Pandamon gasped, his eyes shining with tears. "Please-"

"But you can join us on our journey to the next town. I'm not looking for traveling buddies. I'm just helping this girl find her sister and that's it. I'm on my own. I can only look out for myself and looking out for the both of you is going to be a challenge." Renamon looked away and nodded.

"Next town…" Pandamon looked down at the dirt. It was clear his world had come crashing down around him. He had really expected Renamon to help him out. As bad as I felt, I realized it wasn't my place to say anything. This was Renamon's and Pandamon's fight, not mine.

"We should get moving." Renamon said as she looked at me.

"You're walking to the next town?" Pandamon asked as I started following Renamon.

"Weren't you listening last night?" Renamon growled. "We're taking a Trailmon."

"I must've dozed off. And a Trailmon! How you gonna pull that off?" Pandamon said as he struggled to keep up with us. He walked like a stuffed animal would, like those robotic toys on TV. It wasn't slow, but he couldn't really bend his legs too much. He just sort of waddled quickly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know that they don't run through this area." Renamon said. "If we can't catch one we'll just walk it."

"Long walk." Pandamon commented.

"Complaining?" Renamon challenged.

"No of course not, just saying. If we can't find a Trailmon, I know a few underground passages that can make the travel part easier." Pandamon offered, pleased that he could offer something.

Renamon stopped walking suddenly and grabbed Pandamon by his scarf a second later. She held him up and I gasped as I stared between them. "I'll have you know that if you're working for the Darkness or you walk us into an ambush, you'll be the first one I go after."

"What? No! It's not a trap!" Pandamon said as he struggled under Renamon's grip. "Please! I'm sorry!"

"Renamon, that's enough." I said, trying to keep my voice firm and even.

Renamon let Pandamon drop and she started walking away as I helped him up.

"What's her deal?" Pandamon coughed. "I'm only trying to help."

I looked at Renamon and watched as she walked away, her steps measured and slow, slow enough that we could keep up with her but also enough to tell us to hurry up because she wasn't going to stop.

We walked for a while in complete silence. It was funny watching Pandamon struggle to keep up but it was also nerve-wracking watching Renamon's eyes dart all around the forest in search of an unseen enemy. We reached the edge of the forest and I realized that we were in the field I had first landed in.

"Is the station across the field?" I asked.

Renamon looked down at me and nodded. "That field is actually all hills. Sharp hills, sharp drops. You can't really tell from this angle though."

"That doesn't…sound…nice." Pandamon panted. He was bent over, paws on his knees, eyes closed. He was tired from trying to keep up with us and I felt his pain. Renamon took one look at him and kept on walking.

"Hey…you okay?" I asked as I placed a hand on his back.

"I'm just…a little…tired." Pandamon panted. "I just need a second to breath."

I frowned and looked for Renamon but she was half-way across the field. She wasn't going to help him. I looked down at Pandamon, and bit my bottom lip.

"I can carry you if you want." I said.

"Carry me?" Pandamon asked the surprise all over his face.

"Yeah," I smiled as I lowered down to his level. "Piggy-back ride."

Pandamon stared at me, as if I was bluffing but when he saw I wasn't, he slowly climbed onto my back. He was surprisingly light, but it was a little difficult to wrap my arms around him at first.

When we reached Renamon, she merely glanced down at me and averted her eyes back onto the grassland in front of her.

"Thanks for this, err, what was your name again?" Pandamon asked.

"Hallie." I said as I struggled to smile. I was trying to get a good grip around him, but my arms were too short. I was uncomfortable, but I didn't want to see Pandamon fall behind after he had poured his heart out just to try and stay with us.

"Holly?" Pandamon said. "Sounds like Holly, but it's Hall-ie" He smirked and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Stop." Renamon said abruptly. Pandamon and I not only froze, but our laughter cut short.

"What's wrong?" Pandamon asked as he started looking around. His voice was like a child's full of innocence and fear.

"I sense something." Renamon's ears started to twitch and she looked up as a dark shadow appeared.

"Mach Shadow!" a voice boomed.

"Run!" Pandamon gasped as he struggled out of my hold and I started running. I felt him fall back, but I didn't stop running. A powerful blast of what felt like wind rammed into me and it raised the ground with us. I went flying forward and landed, face first on the ground.


	4. 3:The Search Continues! Meet the Sheriff

Chapter 3: The Search Continues! Meet the Village Sheriff!

*Note! The digimon that attacked Renamon and Hallie in the beginning weren't Ogremon, they were Fugamon!*

"Hallie!" I heard Pandamon call.

I rolled onto my back, gasping for air as Saberdramon flew around in circles above me.

"Saberdramon's back!" Pandamon shouted.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon shouted. Her shards hit Saberdramon, but it didn't really seem effective. In response, Saberdramon dove for Renamon who dodged the big bird with ease. But, with a slight movement of its massive wing, it caught Renamon on her stomach.

"Hallie! You okay?" Pandamon's head blocked my view and his eyes studied me.

"I think so." I said as I struggled to sit up. "What was that attack that it used?"

"Mach Shadow? It's an attack that sends Saberdramon's shadow at its opponents. It has enough power to tear out trees cuz it feels like Saberdramon flying toward you. Except, once it makes contact with you it feels like a blast of wind and not a blast of flames." Pandamon explained. "Renamon doesn't stand a chance against it."

"What do we do?" I rose to my feet just as Renamon struggled to hers and Saberdramon spread out its wings.

"Renamon! We need to run! Now!" Pandamon shouted. I looked down at his paws and saw that three sharp claws had popped out on his hands and feet.

"Pick a direction and we'll go." Renamon growled.

"Mach Shadow!" Saberdramon shouted as it sent its shadow at us again. It was a black bird that emerged from the flames, a ghostly form that was almost as vicious as the real thing. It headed straight for us and hit Renamon first. I covered my face as it hit Pandamon and I and lifted the ground with it. When we landed, we were rolling down what felt like a hill and I struggled to stop.

"Hold on!" I heard Renamon say as I was lifted off the ground. I could hear Pandamon grunting still but when I opened my eyes, I was standing beside Renamon with shaky legs and a whole bunch of rubble landing at our feet. Pandamon landed at our feet, a little dizzy, but good nonetheless.

"Did we get away?" I asked.

"Hardly." Renamon said. "It'll be back."

"What should we do then?" I asked.

Pandamon stood up and dusted off his scarf. The claws from before were gone, replaced with adorable paws.

"Follow me!" He said before Renamon could say anything. He started running off toward a tunnel and Renamon and I stayed where we were. Well, I was about ready to follow him, but Renamon grabbed my arm.

When he reached the tunnel's mouth, Pandamon looked back at us and frowned. "It's not a trap, I promise! It's the only way we can escape! This is a shortcut to the Trailmon station."

After a slight hesitation, Renamon and I followed Pandamon into the tunnel. It was dark in there and I grabbed Renamon's arm out of instinct.

A blue flame appeared and I saw the outline of Renamon's fist. Her little flame was enough to light our way, but something told me it was more for me than the two of them. They might have been monsters, but they resembled a fox and a panda and something told me that they had a good sense of smell. Plus, Renamon's ears were like radars. I knew she could pick up anything, just like she had picked up Saberdramon.

After a few minutes, I spotted a light at the end of the cave and I felt happiness flood into me. We reached the exit and Pandamon burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Renamon asked after a few moments.

"That stupid Saberdramon must be waiting at the other exit!" Pandamon chuckled. "We came out of the secret exit, an exit that most digimon in this area don't really know about."

"Secret exit?" I repeated.

"Renamon, you sensed when we made that slight turn." Pandamon said as he gazed up at her. "You sensed that this way was safe that's why you didn't say anything."

I looked up at her and released her arm. She said nothing but she started walking and Pandamon, who was overly pleased smiled at me as we followed her.

"I see the Trailmon station." Renamon said. "It'll only be a little more now."

"So, Pandamon, you've been traveling all this time all alone?" I asked.

Pandamon looked down and nodded. "I guess so. I used to be a part of a big group of digimon."

"What happened?" Renamon asked.

Pandamon glanced at her. "We were ambushed my Darkness digimon when we passed through this area. We were all searching for a safe place and we figured that if we just stuck on the outline of this area we would be fine."

"That sounds terrible." I said.

"It was. We were all so close, and we swore to stick together. LadyDevimon attacks us and she killed most of us. Our group leader told us to scatter before we ended up destroyed too, but…it was too late. LadyDevimon did the scattering for us. We were so weak, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only survivor." Pandamon shook his head as his claws started to slide out from his paws.

"Don't worry, once the Chosen Ones decide to show, LadyDevimon will be the first to go." Renamon said.

"Think so?" Pandamon asked. "I heard she's capturing all the humans she sucks up. At the rate she's going, she'll lock up every kid all over the Human World."

"What?" I gasped. I imagined Emily trapped in a prison. Even if she was a Chosen One and she had a strong digimon, this LadyDevimon didn't sound like a pushover and I was willing to bet Emily's strong digimon wouldn't stand a chance. "They can't do that? Can they?"

"They're the highest authority." Renamon growled. "They do what they want."

"But still…" I said as I balled my hands into tight fists. "It's not right. Someone…someone has to do something."

"Tell that to the Chosen Ones." Pandamon sighed. "We've been waiting what feels like forever for them to show. Ever since LadyDevimon and her brothers took over it's been a nightmare." Pandamon shook his head. "She's a witch that one and her brothers are starting to control all the areas. Pretty soon they'll rule this world and set out for the Human World."

I shook my head and sighed. I felt really bad listening to how this world was suffering and seeing the pain and anguish on Pandamon's face was enough to make me want to do something. However, I wasn't a Chosen One and the first thing I had to deal with was finding Emily safe and sound. As badly as I wanted to help in any way, I was a human, a human who was being hunted as Pandamon said.

"Wait a second." Renamon stopped walking and I bumped right into her.

"Something wrong?" Pandamon asked as he looked around.

"Is that what I think it is?" Renamon asked as she squinted down our path. I hadn't noticed it before but we had reached the tracks and though there was no actual station just yet, we were walking along them.

"Is that…a Trailmon?" Pandamon gasped. I peeked out from behind Renamon and saw what looked like a silver train heading toward us. The front was narrow, and from this angle, it kind of looked like a speeding bullet.

"It's a train." I smiled as Renamon stepped onto the tracks.

"Huh? Hey Renamon! What makes you so sure he's gonna stop?" Pandamon gasped. "Don't forget that he's probably racing through! He'll run you over!"

I looked at Renamon who didn't seem to care much for Pandamon's warning. She glared down at the fastly approaching train, as if that was enough to stop it.

It kept speeding toward her, each time getting closer and closer and faster and faster. My heart started to race the closer it got and then, suddenly, an earsplitting siren rang. No, no a siren, a long and sharp horn.

"Renamon! Get out of the way!" Pandamon shouted.

"No." Renamon growled as she extended her hand. "It's going to stop."

Another horn, this one longer.

"Renamon." Pandamon said as the train got closer.

She didn't respond and her glare hardened. The Trailmon was a few yards away and the closer it got the more of its features became clearer. It was definitely silver, definitely shaped like a bullet. The sun glinted off of it, but the closer it got the more un-train like it became. It had eyes. Bright blue, yet angry eyes, it didn't have a mouth or anything, just eyes. I felt a shiver run down my back and then that horn sounded again.

"Renamon!" Pandamon shouted. The Trailmon was definitely close now and it was showing no signs of slowing down.

Renamon just stood there, waiting patiently. As if she wasn't scared of her upcoming fate.

It was only a few feet away now , and even though it looked close I knew it wasn't exactly that close. It was so close that if it stopped right now, it wouldn't hit Renamon. But…it just kept going, its piercing horn ringing in my ears.

"Renamon!" I screamed, unable to hold it in anymore. Her ears twitched in response and a miracle happened. The Trailmon screeched to a stop right at Renamon's hand and I felt myself sigh with relief.

"Are you crazy?" A voice shouted.

"You're taking us to the next town." Renamon said.

"What? Who do you think you are anyway! I'm on a tight schedule!" The voice continued. The eyes on the train narrowed and I realized the voice was coming from it.

"So am I." Renamon said. "Now hurry up and let us on."

"Wait! Hold on a minute!" The Trailmon spat as it slowly started to pull away.

"I wouldn't back up if I were you. The mere fact that you're on this line is attracting enough attention don't you think?" Renamon asked.

"Yeah that's true! Why are you out here?" Pandamon asked.

The Trailmon looked between the two of them, clearly angry and yet a little astounded. "I don't know who you three think you are but I don't have to answer to any of you."

"Just let us on. We'll go wherever you're going." Renamon said. "We won't be much trouble."

"Yeah please! We got a human here who's looking for her lost sister." Pandamon begged.

That's when those big blue eyes landed on me and I felt myself smile warily. I wasn't sure if it was much, but the air around us grew a little less tense.

"Please." Renamon said after a few passing moments of silence. The Trailmon looked between the three of us and then up at the sky.

"There's a Saberdramon in the area, so I'd make this decision quick." Renamon said.

"Ugh!" The Trailmon groaned and suddenly it sounded like something was opening up. "I'm too good of a digimon to let you three stay out here."

I followed Pandamon along the Trailmon and into one of the many cars behind the main one. Renamon followed and as soon as we stepped in, the doors swung shut and the Trailmon started moving.

I gripped the bar as I sat myself down in a seat and looked around the car. It was pretty modern inside, like a modern number four train in New York, except not dirty in the slightest, in fact it was brand new. The ads that were plastered around were kind of strange though, all offering a relaxing destination but not giving a place.

"Digital World." Pandamon said. I glanced down at him and he smiled.

"The signs are advertising the Digital World. Once the Trailmon pass into our world, the signs change." Pandamon explained. "In your world they're completely different."

I nodded and folded my hands. Renamon was sitting across from me, her hands clenched around her crest and her eyes closed.

"Where does this thing take us?" I asked, my voice a little hoarse.

Pandamon shrugged. "It's heading toward the next town, so I guess we can get off there."

"Will it stop for us?" I asked. "Didn't Renamon say that we would go wherever it was going?"

Pandamon seemed to think for a few moments until Renamon's eyes snapped open and she glared out the window.

"I did say that didn't I?" Renamon asked.

"Now what do we do?" Pandamon panicked.

"Hey Trailmon!" Renamon called.

"Huh? What's wrong with you people? You causing problems already?" The Trailmon answered.

"We're getting off in the next town." Renamon said. "So make sure you stop before I redesign your interior."

"Alright! Geez! So violent." The Trailmon said. "I'll stop at the next town because the last thing I want is for you three to tag along with me."

"I'm sure." Renamon mumbled as she closed her eyes again.

"So, Trailmon, why are you on this track anyway? I thought all Trailmon were afraid of this area." Pandamon asked.

The Trailmon took a moment to respond but eventually it did, its voice a little unsure. "LadyDevimon ambushed a bunch of humans last night. Complete insanity in that town over there and she destroyed half of it because she wanted every last one. A few kind digimon struggled to hide a few in the Trailmon, but most of us were so scared we took off."

"You were one of them?" Renamon said.

After a few moments of silence, Trailmon grunted. "So what if I was? Those kids shouldn't be here anyway! Besides, it's not like we didn't give them enough time to run away."

"It's not like they have any control. LadyDevimon's searching the Chosen Ones." Pandamon said.

"Besides, she has control over the portals." Renamon added and folded her arms.

Silence passed between them all and I stared out the window. We were in a desert now, way past the dense amount of trees and grasslands. There were mountains in the distance and for a few seconds I found myself completely at peace, lost in my surroundings. It really was a beautiful place, but then I glanced over at Pandamon and realized it wasn't a place meant for me. I balled my hands into tight fists as I thought of Emily once again, praying that nothing had happened to her.

"So you three escaped from that town with that human kid?" Trailmon asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"No." Pandamon answered. "We just…met up."

"Well I'd protect the kid if I were you. When I was pulling away, LadyDevimon ordered her troops to be on high alert. She'll track her down and-"

"That's alright. We can handle it." Renamon interrupted. With that, Trailmon stopped talking. I'm not sure how long we rode in complete silence, all I know is that when I looked up, our surroundings had changed once again. We were in the shade and as the Trailmon slowed to a stop, Renamon rose and the doors opened.

"Out." Trailmon said. "Hurry up! Move! I'm on a schedule."

We piled out and the minute we stepped out, the doors snapped shut.

"Thanks Trailmon. I hope we meet again soon." Pandamon said, as it took off.

"Not that we would ever want to." Renamon said as she looked around.

"Where are we?" I asked as I looked around and found that the next "town" was a few giant trees, trees that were bigger than just the average one, at least in my opinion. It was wide and able to hold houses, tiny shacks in its branches. Tiny walkways, tiny bridges that linked the trees and houses from, one to the other. A mini-town…in the trees. Creatures moved freely through the bridges, not seeming bothered by our presence. In fact they all seemed quite happy.

"Hold it right there, strangers!" A voice called.

I jumped and Pandamon and Renamon slowly turned to face the voice.

Sunlight glistened off this dark creature that was heading toward us. At first all I saw was the big cowboy hat and heard his cowboy boots on the ground. Then, as a cloud came and covered the sun, my eyes widened. A gun. His body was a pistol, at least his chest was. He even had two pistols in the holder sat his sides and he stared at us with ghostly yellow eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Renamon asked.

"I'm the sheriff of this here town." The creature said as he sized each of us up. "I know that Trailmon hasn't been through this here town fer a few months now, at least not since the Darkness took over."

"Congrats." Renamon said.

"Renamon!" Pandamon snapped and shook his head. He nodded at the creature before us, who didn't seem phased by Renamon's comment.

"I apologize for my friend…and yes we know." Pandamon said. "We're just here looking for someone."

"Lookin' fer someone?" The creature said.

Renamon glanced down at me and I stepped forward. I wasn't going to lie the only thing I was staring at throughout all of this was that pistol on his chest. The closer I got the more I realized it really was is body. That pistol was attached to him, a part of him.

"My sister." I said, my voice nervous.

The creature looked me over and shrugged. "You a human?"

"Yes."

"And you think yer sister is here?"

"It's what I'm told."

"How did you get here?"

"I fell…from the sky…"

"If my calculations are correct, her sister must have landed somewhere around here." Renamon said. "If she's not here, we'll be on our way."

"That's correct…I do recall a few humans passing through, rather err, unexpectedly. I can't remember many faces, but I assume this sister of yours is younger than you? Or older?"

"Younger." I said. "Really young. She has super curly hair, unruly I guess. She's dark, like me, but a little darker. She had on a shirt and jeans and she has braces." I pointed to just about everything I had said. My hair, which wasn't as unruly as Emily's was, but pretty close if I didn't brush it. It was true we were dark, but Emily had always been a little darker, like our dad. Her shirt and jeans were things I couldn't remember, just things I knew she was wearing. She had gotten her braces last year and hated them, but they were the kind that once you saw them, you wouldn't forget. Maybe it was her face, her eyes or something, but every time we met someone new, they'd remember her. I prayed that was the case here.

The creature shrugged. "Bunch of faces. Bunch of complexions."

"Well you said passing through, so where were they heading?" Renamon said.

The creature fixed its hat and looked at Renamon. "Toward the mountains."

"Then if you don't mind we'll search for a while through your village and then leave. It's urgent that we find this girl." Renamon said.

"Feel free, as long as you three aren't being chased by anything…oh wait, that's right. Yer a human. Of course you three are being chased by someone, and not just any someone, by the Darkness itself." The creature pulled out its pistols, an action that caught the attention of the other creatures in the tree.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Pandamon shouted as he jumped in front of me.

"Hold on a minute!" I said as the creature aimed for Pandamon and me.

"I ain't stupid. I know damn well that thing around yer neck is exactly what LadyDevimon wants." The creature glared at Renamon. "I heard there was a thief in the area and if I offer you and a human, this village can once again be unaffected and torn down by LadyDevimon."

"Listen, Deputymon, let's talk this over." Pandamon said. "You don't have to do this."

"Too late." It started firing its pistols at our feet and I screamed as I struggled to get away.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon shouted as her shards slammed into the creature and he hit the floor.

"This is bad." Pandamon grunted as his claws started to slide out.

"Suddenly, this all makes crystal clear sense." Renamon said as she disappeared and then reappeared in front of the creature. She grabbed him by the ragged scarf around his neck and glared into his eyes.

"The only reason this town isn't in complete chaos is because you made a deal with the Darkness. You would do whatever they said and told you to do and your village would stay intact, is that so?"

The creature, no…digimon, that was the better word for it, struggled under Renamon's hold. "So what if I did? In this day and age it's either join forces or get deleted." With that, he cocked the gun on his chest and glared at Renamon. "Justice Bullet!" A golden bullet shot out of the gun barrel and rammed into Renamon who ended up flying back and right into a tree.

"Renamon!" I shouted as I stumbled to my feet and the digimon turned to face Pandamon and I.

"Grr…Hallie! Run!" Pandamon growled as he jumped in front of me once more and the digimon lifted his pistols again.

I was frozen in place, completely useless and scared out of my mind. It was all over. Renamon wasn't getting up and if she didn't stand a chance, I lost all confidence that Pandamon could. I squeezed my eyes shut as that golden bullet flew out of the digimon's chest and headed right for Pandamon and me.


	5. 4:Have A Little Hope! Enter Agumon!

Chapter 4: Have A Little Hope! Enter Agumon!

"Pepper Breath!" A fireball came shooting from the left and rammed right into the bullet. At the sound of the voice I had opened my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the bullet hadn't been close to us. Pandamon seemed confused as an orange creature rammed into the pistol swinging digimon.

"What is that?" I asked as I stared at what looked like a three foot tall, orange, big-headed dinosaur.

"Agumon." Pandamon mumbled as his claws retreated.

"And not just any Agumon." Renamon's voice said. I looked up and saw her towering over me, her fur dirty and her eyes struggling to stay open.

Pandamon studied the Agumon before us just as a boy, who looked a little older than me stepped into view. He had a mess of curly brown hair, but if he ran his fingers through it, it would be perfectly combed. He was scruffy looking and he studied the digimon with the pistols as the Agumon backed up beside him. It reached up to his hip and the two seemed to be completely in sync and comfortable with each other.

The boy was lean, a little muscle, but nothing crazy. He wore a pair of wrinkled jeans with an unbuttoned white shirt and a blue shirt underneath. His sneakers were a pair of dirty Converse and he had a back pack on his back.

"Ugh!" The pistol flipping digimon said as he struggled to his feet.

"I think you need to rethink whose side you're on." The boy said.

The digimon took one look at the boy and his golden eyes widened. "Impossible…this must be…this can't be…"

"Apologize." Agumon said. "These three aren't your enemies." Its voice was high pitched and other than its striking orange skin, it's eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald green.

"Agumon…The Chosen Agumon…and that must be…his partner…" Pandamon gasped. "This is…amazing."

"Chosen Agumon?" I repeated, but it was clear the two of them weren't listening to a thing I said.

"Deputymon, I don't think you want to lose your authority in this town so easily, so do what we say." The boy said.

"Tai." Renamon said quietly, loud enough for me to hear but not enough for the boy to hear.

"I apologize!" Deputymon exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and turned to us. "We're saved you see! A Chosen One is here to save the day! To save all of us!" He started cheering and the other digimon that were watching cheered along with him.

The boy seemed not to care about the celebrations as he looked down at Agumon and then his gaze landed on me.

"Hey…you…kid…" A small voice whispered.

"Huh?" I breathed as I looked around. I glanced down at the bush beside me and out popped a tiny pink face with beady black eyes. It stared up at me and smirked.

"Braces…girl…tiny…dark like you? I think I know where your sister is." The little pink thing winked at me and popped back into the bush.

"Huh? Hey wait! Where is she?" I practically threw myself into the bushes until the pink creature hopped out and landed in front of me.

He was small, probably only about a foot. He had a pink scarf tied around his neck that was long and red booties on its feet. It had large ears but on closer inspection they didn't really look like ears at all.

"She headed out of this village last night, but there's a huge possibility that she might be in trouble." The tiny creature said.

"What is that?" Tai asked as he got closer.

"That's a Cutemon, Tai." Agumon said.

Renamon had yet to acknowledge the tiny Cutemon before us, she was too busy staring into Tai's eyes while Pandamon was staring at it full on but it was clear his mind was elsewhere.

"What do you mean she's in trouble?" My heart was racing.

"A Darkness Prison is a few miles away from here. She was with other kids and a few digimon, but I don't think those digimon were strong enough." Cutemon explained.

I looked at Renamon and touched her paw. She flinched at my touch, but didn't stare at me.

"Renamon, we have to go."

Tai stared down at me and then finally met Renamon's gaze. Then his eyes dropped to her neck and his eyes widened. "How did you get that?"

Renamon wrapped her fingers around the crest and looked away. "I was told to protect it."

Agumon's head tilted to the side. "That looks an awful lot like the Crest of Hope."

"That's cuz it is." Pandamon said.

Agumon looked up at Tai. "But don't those belong…to the others?"

Tai reached up and touched his neck. He seemed surprised by whatever he found there because instantly his hands were grabbing at his chest and shirt.

"Lose something?" Renamon asked.

Tai looked at her and slowly stopped searching. "My crest."

"Hey guys." Cutemon called. We all looked down at him.

"I'm sensing Darkness digimon heading this way, and it's a big one. In a matter of minutes, this is going to be the last village you'll want to be in. Second, with this cheering crowd, it'll only take a few more minutes until that Darkness digimon finds all of you and imprisons you all."

"And you're a Chosen One." Pandamon said to Tai. "LadyDevimon will destroy you."

"Then we'll stay and fight." Tai said as he balled his hands into tight fists.

"Tai…remember our mission." Agumon said as he looked at me.

Tai looked at me and nodded.

"What mission?" I asked.

"Get all humans back the Human World." He said. "All Humans that aren't the Chosen Ones anyway."

"Well, then let's get moving, because there's a whole bunch, this way!" The Cutemon darted off on all fours and I ran after it. Renamon merely disappeared and I knew the others were calling after me, but I didn't listen. I was so close to Emily I could practically feel her in my arms. I wasn't going to sleep another night without my little sister and I would walk around this whole planet, world, whatever until I found her.

As the crowd's cheer faded to the back, I raced through the forest with that Cutemon who darted past trees and just made it all look so easy; it was hard not to get a little jealous.

But, then I was dangling in a net, with Cutemon pressed against my side and my hands tangled in the net surrounding us.

"No!" I shouted as I struggled.

Cutemon struggled too, but it was futile. He had the tiniest fingers and hands and all they really seemed to do was poke the rope. Then, he started biting as a bunch of Ogremon popped out from the trees around us.

"Well, well! Look what we caught!" One of them chuckled. "More than one too."

I slowly turned to my side and saw Pandamon, Agumon, and Tai also trapped in a net and gritted my teeth. They were all struggling with the rope and I watched as Agumon struggled to tear the rope around him. Pandamon was busy trying to cut at the rope too, until Ogremon surrounded them and raised their clubs.

"This is bad!" Cutemon grunted. "I don't wanna be captured!" He was panicking, fear shining in his little eyes. I gripped the ropes again and pulled, until we were swinging around.

"Let me out you freaks!" I shouted.

"What she say?" An ogre growled.

"What she call us?" Another snapped.

"It's okay; we'll beat them up a bit and then see who the real freaks are." With that they lifted their sticks and suddenly I lost all feeling in my body. I struggled to back away, as if that was even possible.

"Power Paw!" In a flash, Renamon was there, knocking out every ogre around us. She cut the ropes and we all fell out of the nets. She helped me up in one swift motion and jumped into the highest tree.

"She's cool!" Cutemon cheered.

"Hurry up and keep moving." Renamon said.

"We're not leaving you!" I said as everyone started moving and then stopped.

Renamon looked down at me. "This isn't the time to play hero or gain courage. Do as I say and stay out of my way. I'll handle this and the other digimon. I'm giving you all a head start so take it."

"You can't do that on your own!" I shouted as the ogres started getting up.

"Evil Hurricane!" A few of them aimed at Renamon, but the others aimed at us.

"Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouted as his fireball slammed into the gust of wind heading for us. Of course, while it weakened the impact a little, it still managed to knock us off of our feet.

"Heavy Stick!" I propped myself up on my elbows only to see an ogre running toward me, with that bone, stick thing high above its head. The closer it got the bigger that bone got and the bigger it got the more damage I imagined it would take on me.

"Power Paw!" Renamon appeared and managed to knock the ogre out with one hit to the jaw. In an instant, almost like a reaction, a whole bunch of ogres aimed their sticks at her.

"Evil Hurricane!" The combined blasts of wind slammed into Renamon, not only knocking her off her feet, but trapping her in what looked like a mini-tornado.

"Renamon!" I shouted as I scrambled to my feet and started running toward her.

"Hallie! No!" Pandamon shouted after me.

"Stay back!" Tai called. "Agumon!"

"Pepper Breath!" His fireball flew past me and managed to knock out a good half of the circle around Renamon. Finally the mini-tornado vanished as the other ogres jumped back. Renamon hit the ground, badly wounded, her body trembling with pain.

I placed my hands on her back and gripped her fur in my hands. I wasn't sure why, but I was devastated. She was in terrible condition but it was like I could still feel her urge to fight on. She was struggling to get up on her knees and I squeezed my eyes shut as tears loomed.

"Stop." I said, my voice shaking.

"I told you to run." Renamon growled.

"Don't do this to yourself." I sniffed. "Just stop."

Renamon struggled to look at me and for the first time, her cold stare did nothing to me. All I felt was the pain in my heart. I didn't understand why she constantly saved me, why she constantly put her life on the line. She had an important mission and what would happen if she…died? Who would watch the crest thing of hers?

"Losing faith already?" Renamon coughed as she pushed herself onto her knees.

I opened my eyes and my tears fell. "Losing faith?" What was the point of faith when all odds were against you?

Renamon closed her eyes and shook her head. "I've been in worse situations, all I'm asking is that you put a little faith in me and believe that I can do this." She pushed herself to her feet and I rose with her.

"As much as I would love to, I can't! You can't do this alone!"

"And what are you gonna do? Fight with me? In case you forgot, you're human, you don't have any powers."

"I might not have fire in my hands or claws, or breathe fireballs from my mouth, but I'm not completely useless!" I shouted.

"Well right, now you're just an obstacle, standing in my way." Renamon glared.

Suddenly, any sympathy I had in my chest vanished. I glared right into her eyes and wanted nothing more than to hit something. How could someone…be so…ugh! She was bipolar! She had to be!

"You know something, it's kind of hard to have a little hope when you're just so damn mean!" I shouted.

"Watch out!" Pandamon shouted.

I looked over my shoulder just as a powerful blast of wind slammed into my back. I bumped into Renamon, and we went flying back. When we landed, I was lying on my stomach in the grass and I could feel Renamon's fur rubbing against my arm. The burn on my left arm tingled, but I bit it all down.

"You're something else." Renamon said as I looked up and then glanced at her.

"Are you going to listen to me now?" I mumbled.

She struggled to her feet once more and glared at the incoming Fugamon.

"What do you mean you can't digivolve!" Pandamon shouted.

"Wouldn't surprise me! He needs the Crest to digivolve!" Tai said. "And we suddenly don't have it."

"This is bad! We need to help them!" Cutemon said. "Those Fugamon are Champion level and Renamon's only strong enough to take out one at a time!"

"Agumon, keep attacking." Tai demanded. "Try your best to make sure they don't hurt those two."

I could hear our small group babbling back and forth and though it touched me that this Tai guy and his partner were willing to help us out was comforting. He didn't even know us and yet he was willing to do everything in his power to keep us safe.

"Have a little hope." Renamon said as her hands became engulfed in that blue flame.

"How long can you keep fighting?" I said.

"As long as it takes." Renamon said as she threw herself at one of the Fugamon. Within seconds he was knocked out too and she raced toward the oncoming Fugamon, each hit on them powerful and yet, not enough. It suddenly seemed that with every one of her hits, another would strike her with their stick. It was the day we met all over again.

Agumon was struggling to get a good hit without hitting Renamon but it was pretty clear that he was missing and barely doing any damage.

_**Have a little hope**_. Renamon's words echoed in my head. What kind of advice was that? She wasn't going to win with it…I knew that…but still. Belief? Hope? Faith? She might be mean, cruel, and not kind at times, but the fact was she never failed to let me down and even if she wanted to or not, she was always saving me. She was doing this for me. She not only had to look after that crest of hers, but something told me that she had pushed its importance to the back of her mind. Something told me that my sister was more important. She would do anything to find her, just like I would give anything to be with her. So…wasn't that hope? I hoped to be reunited with my sister. I had faith in being reunited with my sister. I believed that Renamon was the key to finding her. That was why I couldn't leave her. I couldn't leave her because in some way, in the short amount of time we had known each other, I believed in her. I had faith in her. I had hope that she could overcome anything. Even if all odds were against us, I found myself willing to be by Renamon's side, carelessly throwing myself into harm's way just go be with her.

I thought back to when we had met, how helpless she had appeared. I hadn't been able to handle her being attacked by those Fugamon before and I had popped out with a stick, ready to defend her. It was stupid now that I thought about it, but I had done it, blindly. Just like she always did when it came to me.

I balled my hands into fists as fresh tears lit my eyes. I watched Renamon continue to fight. I watched as she took the hits and fought back, just as hard. Her blows were getting weaker and she was only pushing the Fugamon back a few feet. Within a matter of minutes she would collapse in that circle and it would be over.

Agumon suddenly ran into the circle, knocking over a Fugamon in the process, only to be kicked off.

With trembling lips and sweaty palms and tears streaming down my face, I finally understood Renamon's words. Even when things looked grim, a little faith and hope was all you needed.

"Renamon!" I called. "I have faith in you!"

She pushed a Fugamon away and dropped to her knees. All the Fugamon took a step back as they stared down at her, sizing her up and plotting their next move. A few broke away to handle Agumon while Tai tried his best to instruct his partner while trying to figure out how to get out of this mess.

Renamon, out of breath and probably aching all over looked over at me, her breaths quick, her body trembling.

As my tears fell, I became overcome with this feeling in my chest. I wasn't sure where it was coming from, where it was coming from, or why I was even cheering Renamon on. But I realized you always have to have faith, always have a little hope. Things might not look good now, but anything could happen to change that.

The crest around Renamon's neck began to glow and soon the light spread out until it surrounded each of us. I closed my eyes as it hit me, making me feel light as air and yet warm. I felt safe, wrapped in it and then, as my eyes opened, the light was gone and Renamon was glowing. She jumped to my side, landing with grace. Her glowing subsided and she stared down at me, perfectly healed, a certain look in her eye that made me smile.

A bright light appeared in front of me and as the light started to fade, it dropped to the ground.

"I feel…different." Renamon said as she looked down at her hands and back at her tail.

I picked up the item on the ground and held it in my hands.

"What just happened?" One of the Fugamon shouted. They seemed stunned by the light and they were backing into each other.

The device in my hand looked like a wrist watch, except the face was a little bigger than your average watch. It was golden and purple, the band purple, but the frame around the face was gold, like the crest inside Renamon's necklace.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A digivice." Renamon said just as the Fugamon started to snap out of their dizziness.

"Digivice?" I repeated.

"You're a Chosen One!" Pandamon cheered. "I knew it! I knew it! You and Renamon are gonna save the world!"

"Yay!" Cutemon cheered, but I had a feeling he was just excited because Pandamon was.

"I'm a Chosen One?" I asked.

"So we got two Chosen Ones now?" A Fugamon asked.

"The more the merrier!" Another responded.

"Evil Hurricane!" A few shouted in unison. Renamon glared at the blast of wind coming at us at full speed and crossed her arms.

"Diamond Storm!" Her shards were stronger, sharper and they hit the blast of wind and not only cancelled it out but slammed right into the Fugamon. They went flying back and Renamon disappeared from my side. She reappeared in the middle of the Fugamon who seemed stunned with how strong Renamon's attack had been.

"Now to end this! Power Paw!" she punched and kicked at the remaining Fugamon, sending them flying in different directions and knocking them out. a few minutes later, she was standing in the middle of the field, with clenched fists and her tail moving around excitedly behind her.

"Hmph…" she mumbled.

"That was pretty awesome!" Tai smiled.

"Pretty awesome! That was amazing!" Cutemon cheered.

"Hallie and Renamon! A force to be reckoned with!" Pandamon cheered.

Agumon nodded and looked at me. "I guess that means you're gonna help us save the Digital World."

*NOTE*

Why does Tai look different? Where's his big head of hair? Well, in my eyes, this story is playing out like a movie, and while it might be possible for movies nowadays to get the whole big hair thing going on, I don't think it's going to look so good on camera. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and don't be afraid to let me know what you think!


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